Genetics of seed coat color in sesame (Sesamum indicum L.)

Abstract

Seed coat colour of sesame is commercially an important trait. Developing white seeded varieties with long lasting luster has received momentous attention in most of the major sesame producing countries including India. The present investigation centered on the genetic control of seed coat colour in sesame. No genetic nomenclature is available in sesame to describe seed coat colour. This is the first attempt to designate genes engendering specific seed coat colour. The findings are based on five different crosses with seed coat colour belonging to white, beige and various shades of brown colour. In general, tetragenic model corroborated with the colour combinations. The colour beige seemed to be fixable as well as suppressive over other colors. In white seeded seeds, several genes co-existed and those genes produced colored segregants in F2 generation. Two loci, Gr and I, regulated suppression or intensification of pigment production. Two major genes V and B were accountable for basic colour production. The recessive allele ‘b’ tightly linked with ‘r’, resulted into beige colour which suppressed the effect either of the loci V and B. The study of inheritance pattern of seed coat would aid to evolve varieties with specific desired seed coat color.

Keywords: Genes, inheritance, seed coat colour, nomenclature and Sesamum indicum L.

African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(42), pp. 6061-6067